Breakdancing, a form of street dancing and the oldest known hip-hop style of dance, started as a way for gangs to fight without violence.
“There is a lot of physical ability and activity in breakdancing,” Mr. Jesse said. “But there is also a lot of respect. We are not here to fight you, but to beat you in dance.”
Miss Erin feels incredibly lucky to have Mr. Jesse on staff, and from the beginning, when Jesse heard Miss Erin’s vision for the studio, he was all in.
“Jesse is the premier B boy instructor in Omaha, if not the region!” Erin said. “He’s been doing it the longest, and he knows the b-boy style better than anyone else I’ve ever encountered.”
Jesse was 20 years old when he was introduced to breakdancing. He saw some kids spinning on their heads in a park and thought it was cool. He watched for a while before they asked if he wanted to learn.
“Later that day, my friend and I went back to his driveway, pulled out some cardboard, and started learning how to breakdance” Mr. Jesse said.
He continued to meet up with the B boys from the park, and they introduced Jesse to the entire B boy scene. He entered his first battle a year and a half later, and to this day continues to practice and get better.
“I watched a lot of videos,” Jesse said. “I am always trying to push myself to not necessarily be the best dancer out there, but to be the best dancer I can be.”
Jesse believes breakdancing is a cool, unique way to express energy and to be yourself.
“It provides a way for young men and women to express themselves, be energetic, and have that comradery and aggressiveness in a very caring and expressive environment,” Mr. Jesse said. “It’s a way to be an artist with your body.”
Breakdancing isn’t about being the best in the class, or trying to do a move someone else can do. Breakdancing is about getting better at what you are good at, and working on the things you’re not so good at.
Mr. Jesse says of breakdancing, “the more you put in, the more you get out of it! It will give you a lot of self confidence and satisfaction in dance.”
While breakdancing can help with self confidence, body control, and even build solid friendships, it’s also about having fun and feeling the music.
“B Boys and B Girls are real,” Jesse says. “We don’t wait for someone to say “5, 6, 7, 8!” ... we go when we feel it!”
A lot of the boys in Jesse’s class love breakdancing, but more than that, they love Jesse.
“He has the ability to connect with boys like no one I’ve ever seen before,” Miss Erin said. “His ability to call out what's inside of them has been so huge. A lot of parents have their son in Jesse’s class not necessarily for B Boy style, but just because they want their son to be influenced by Jesse.”
This summer, Mr. Jesse is again holding a B Boy camp for 6-10 year olds at Bloom! This is a great opportunity for any boys that have thought about trying breakdancing out.
ONE DAY CAMP (3 hours): Saturday, June 20th (click to learn more)
At Bloom, we’re thrilled to have Mr. Jesse--and so many other great teachers like him as a part of our team!